He played several small roles in the show on Broadway, eventually taking over the coveted lead role of Jean Valjean, the convict-turned-hero whose journey unfolds in the show.

Even so, when Varela was cast in the show's 25th anniversary tour, he had to start from scratch. That's because he was stepping into a new role. He's playing Valjean's dogged adversary, Inspector Javert.

To get inside Javert's skin, he started with the original source material: Victor Hugo's mammoth 1862 novel.

“I really wanted to make a human being that people could sympathize with,” Varela said. “Reading the passages in the book, you realize that he is presented as eminently reasonable. Every move he makes is justified and thought-out, and I really wanted to bring that into the show.”

It is not a case of same old, same old. For its silver anniversary last year, the show got a major makeover. Fans will notice that right from the get-go: Instead of a chain gang breaking up rocks in the opening scene, the convicts are on a ship. The scene comes from Hugo's novel, said associate director Anthony Lyn.

The show's entire look is different, too. That revolving stage? Gone. And the sound has gotten an upgrade, as well, as have the costumes, which are far more colorful.

'LED MIS' NOTES“Twilight” takeoff Andrew Varela, who is playing Inspector Javert, sells “Team Javert” merchandise through his website. The idea was inspired by his wife’s love of “Twilight,” and those fans’ Team Jacob and Team Edward camps. “This seemed like a natural extension,” he said. “I don’t know how they sell, but apparently they are selling. I get a lot of tweets on Twitter, people saying Javert is their favorite character.”Ta-ta, turntable The spinning turntable that allowed the action to range all over (and beneath!) France, and which has been at the heart of the show’s tech since the beginning, is gone. “That whole concept was revolutionary then,” associate director Anthony Lyn said. “To take nothing away from that concept, in the 25 years since we first opened, there have been no less than three revivals of ‘Gypsy,’ and each time, that show is done from a different and more modern perspective. In order for this show to never be left behind, it was time to update the old girl and bring her out again, better than ever.”Hugo’s images: Novelist Victor Hugo, who wrote “Les Miserables,” was also a gifted visual artist. The show’s new design incorporates some of Hugo’s drawings into the overall look.Back to the silver screen: A new film adaptation is in the works, with Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert. It’s slated for release at the end of the year. — Deborah Martin

“We approached it by asking, if we were putting on ‘Les Miserables' today without any knowledge of how it was done 25 years ago, what would we do?” Lyn said. “In the last 25 years, there have been enormous advances in sound, in orchestrations and instrumentation, enormous advances in lighting.”

All of those changes were folded into the new staging. The sound design is crisper, Lyn said, and the orchestrations have lost any hint of '80s synthetic sound. Digital projections are used, as well, including an effect in the sewers that he described as being “as close as one can get to 3-D without 3-D glasses. It's very advanced projection.”

Hard-core fans needn't fret, Lyn said: “You'll get everything you expect. All of those songs and all of the story remain intact, but what you get is a fresh approach.

“It's like seeing a friend you haven't seen in a long time, and they've lost some weight, they've dyed their hair, and they look fresh and 20 years younger.”

Varela is a big fan of the update.

“It's a thoughtful, beautiful re-imagining of the show,” he said. “If you've seen ‘Les Mis' before, you're going to love this one. If you haven't, you need to re-examine the priorities in your life. This is a magnificent show for all ages. It's three hours long, with gunbattles and love duets and fist fights and dancing. If you're going to see one piece of musical theater in your life, make it ‘Les Mis.'”